Offices Held

Biography

Chute was, like his father and grandfather, a lawyer. His father established the wealth and position of the family, purchasing The Vine in 1653 and serving as Speaker for two months during Richard Cromwell’s Parliament, though he had been a defender of the Church throughout the Interregnum, and was regarded as a friend by the Cavaliers. Chute himself was not an active politician, but he had a strong motive for entering Parliament as a purchaser of part of Lady Powell’s estate, which had been alienated by dubious means during the Interregnum by her husband and nephew (William Powell). He stood for Haslemere in 1661, probably on the More interest, and was involved in a double return. He was seated on 17 May on the merits of the return, but was unseated three days later on the merits of the election. On 28 Jan. 1662, a proviso to the bill to annul Lady Powell’s fine was introduced on his behalf, but was rejected. During one of the divisions he was overheard by Bullen Reymes in the lobby of the House to observe bitterly, ‘Well, gentlemen, I hope ere long to be of a Parliament wherein I may give away some of your estates as well as you give away mine’. For this remark Chute was brought in custody to the bar of the House for having ‘spoken reproachful words against the honour and justice and in breach of the privilege of this House’. Chute died in 1666, aged 34. His son stood unsuccessfully for Ludger-shall in 1685, but the family was next represented in Parliament by his grandson, who sat for two Isle of Wight constituencies as a Whig from 1737 to 1747.2